Massachusetts

  • April 11, 2024

    State Rules Can't 'Obliterate' Federal Rights, Justices Told

    The U.S. Supreme Court must clarify that states are categorically prohibited from requiring plaintiffs to exhaust local administrative remedies before pursuing claims that state officials violated federal rights, several Alabamans told the court Thursday, warning that state prerequisites obliterate federal rights.

  • April 11, 2024

    Summary Judgment 'Waste Of Time' In 401(k) Suit, Judge Says

    Boston College will face a trial in a suit accusing the school of mismanaging its 401(k) retirement plans after a Massachusetts federal judge issued a 126-page memorandum Thursday in which he blamed himself for a "monumental waste of time" that was the two sides' summary judgment proceeding.

  • April 11, 2024

    Arax Buys US Capital Wealth In Latest Asset Manager Merger

    Wealth management platform Arax Investment Partners, advised by Fried Frank Harris Shriver & Jacobson LLP, announced on Thursday that its assets under management will grow to $16 billion following its acquisition of independent wealth management firm U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors, in a deal marking the latest in a string of mergers between asset managers.

  • April 11, 2024

    Vineyard Wind Project Thoroughly Vetted, Feds Tell 1st Circ.

    The federal government on Thursday urged the First Circuit to uphold a Massachusetts federal judge's decision tossing a fishing group's challenge to the Vineyard Wind project, saying it was approved by the U.S. Department of the Interior after extensive analysis.

  • April 11, 2024

    Medtronic Can't Ditch Ex-Sales Rep's Retaliation Claim

    Medical device maker Medtronic can't avoid a whistleblower retaliation claim by a former sales rep who says he was pushed out after reporting what he suspected to be a kickback scheme to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, a federal judge said Wednesday.

  • April 10, 2024

    DOJ Hits Regeneron With False Claims Act Suit Over Eylea

    The federal government has brought a False Claims Act intervenor complaint in Massachusetts against Regeneron, alleging the pharmaceutical giant fraudulently withheld information from its Medicare reports seeking reimbursement for its drug Eylea, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Wednesday. 

  • April 10, 2024

    Emissions Rules' Foes May Be Forced To Yield To Automakers

    Potential challengers of vehicle emissions rules were shown they're not necessarily in the drivers' seat on the issue when the D.C. Circuit upheld California's authority to set its own greenhouse gas emissions standards and run a zero-emission vehicles program while citing the auto industry's peace with the regulations.

  • April 10, 2024

    No Damages After Drug Lab Scandal Sinks Case, Court Says

    A Massachusetts man is not entitled to compensation from a fund for exonerees after his 2006 heroin distribution conviction was among thousands of drug cases vacated due to misconduct by a chemist at the state crime lab, an intermediate appeals court said Wednesday.

  • April 10, 2024

    Skadden, Fenwick Lead $4.9B Alpine Immune Sciences Sale

    Biotechnology company Alpine Immune Sciences Inc., advised by Fenwick & West LLP, on Wednesday revealed that it has agreed to be bought by Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc., led by Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP, in a $4.9 billion cash deal.

  • April 10, 2024

    'Varsity Blues' Judge Won't Recuse From Bid For Plea Redo

    The Boston federal judge overseeing the waning "Varsity Blues" college admissions case said Wednesday he should be the one to decide whether a parent who pled guilty in the scandal's early days should be able to have the conviction erased, calling her recusal bid "fraught with judge-shopping."

  • April 10, 2024

    Moderna Says Pfizer Is PTAB 'Tea-Leaf-Reading' In Vax IP Row

    Moderna Inc. asked a Boston federal judge to deny Pfizer Inc.'s bid to pause a COVID-19 vaccine patent trial while the Patent Trial and Appeal Board reviews the validity of two of the three patents at issue.

  • April 10, 2024

    1st Circ. Says Appellant's Death Erases Conviction

    The First Circuit has vacated the stock fraud conviction of a biotech executive who died in prison, aligning itself with all the other federal circuits in adopting the longstanding principle that a defendant's death during a direct appeal of a conviction wipes out all the criminal proceedings from their inception.

  • April 10, 2024

    Liberty Mutual Says Former Star Sales Rep Poached Clients

    A former high-performing sales representative for a Liberty Mutual Group Inc. subsidiary violated nonsolicitation and nondisclosure agreements when he left to start his own competing agency, the insurer alleged in a Massachusetts state court complaint.

  • April 09, 2024

    Quinn Emanuel, Davidoff Hutcher Sued Over Mansion Sale

    The trustee for a bankrupt entity once owned by HFZ Capital Group has sued Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP and Davidoff Hutcher & Citron, seeking to claw back up to $2 million the firms allegedly fraudulently received from a $45 million Hamptons mansion sale linked to developer Nir Meir.

  • April 09, 2024

    Why IP Attys Are Watching This $2B Trade Secrets Battle

    A case of alleged corporate espionage involving two software companies that resulted in a $2 billion verdict has all the hallmarks of a legal thriller, and attorneys are watching the appeal closely to see how it could impact trade secrets litigation.

  • April 09, 2024

    Former Pharma Exec Can't Oust Judge In Contempt Case

    A federal judge in Massachusetts on Tuesday denied what he called a "frivolous" motion to recuse himself from a criminal contempt proceeding against a former pharmaceutical executive who has acknowledged using an alias to flout an injunction banning him from working in the securities field.

  • April 09, 2024

    Ex-Haitian Mayor Can't Nix Mass. Jury's $15.5M Torture Verdict

    A Boston federal judge has refused to toss a $15.5 million civil verdict finding a former Haitian mayor responsible for torture and extrajudicial violence against rival political party members.

  • April 09, 2024

    Ex-DraftKings Exec Loses Bid For $310K In Atty Fees

    A California federal judge will not award the $310,000 in attorney fees a former DraftKings executive claims it cost to handle the ping-ponging of his lawsuit between federal and state court, ruling the removal at the behest of his ex-employer was "suspect" but not unreasonable.

  • April 09, 2024

    ArentFox Schiff Bets On Auto Sector With 4 Boston Partners

    ArentFox Schiff LLP has brought on four partners from midsize Boston firm Burns & Levinson LLP who specialize in representing the automotive industry, according to a Tuesday announcement by the firm.

  • April 09, 2024

    Former Blockchain Stock Exchange CEO Sues For $1.4M Pay

    The former CEO of a defunct blockchain securities exchange claims she was denied her final year's salary, bonus and other compensation valued at nearly $1.4 million, according to a complaint filed in Massachusetts state court.

  • April 09, 2024

    16 States Seek To Defend EPA Particulate Matter Rule

    A coalition of 16 states, New York City and Washington, D.C., has pushed to intervene before the D.C. Circuit in defense of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's recent final rule tightening federal standards for fine particulate matter pollution, as it faces challenges from industry groups and Republican-led states.

  • April 09, 2024

    California Can Set Own Emissions Standards, DC Circ. Says

    The D.C. Circuit on Tuesday upheld the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Clean Air Act waiver that allows California to set its own greenhouse gas emissions standards for vehicles and run a zero-emission vehicles program, rejecting challenges filed by red states and industry groups.

  • April 08, 2024

    Feds Say Cannabis Cos. Can't Challenge CSA Pot Ban

    The U.S. government is urging a Massachusetts federal court to throw out a suit by several cannabis companies alleging the ban on cannabis under the Controlled Substances Act is unconstitutional, saying they don't have standing to sue because their activities aren't being prosecuted.

  • April 08, 2024

    Immigrant Children Settle ICE Border Separation Claims

    Three immigrant children separated from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border in 2018 have settled their lawsuit seeking compensation from the U.S. government for the trauma they endured in federal detention, according to a court filing.

  • April 08, 2024

    Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court

    Last week, a much-watched Chancery Court Match.com decision got reversed, a Philip Morris motion got stubbed out, and a long-frozen Blue Bell Creameries suit started churning again. Delaware's Court of Chancery also saw new suits filed for legal fees, arguments over multibillion-dollar pay packages, and a judge flummoxed over Truth Social.

Expert Analysis

  • Opinion

    States Must Fight Predatory Real Estate Listing Agreements

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    As momentum against long-term real estate listing agreements continues to grow, states should take action to render existing agreements unenforceable and discourage future unfair and deceptive trade practices in real estate, says Elizabeth Blosser at the American Land Title Association.

  • Steps To Success For Senior Associates

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
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    Adriana Paris at Rissman Barrett discusses the increased responsibilities and opportunities that becoming a senior associate brings and what attorneys in this role should prioritize to flourish in this stressful but rewarding next level in their careers.

  • How To Avoid A Zombie Office Building Apocalypse

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    With national office vacancy rates approaching 20%, policymakers, investors and developers will need to come together in order to prevent this troubling trend from sucking the life out of business districts or contaminating the broader real estate market, say Ryan Sommers and Robyn Minter Smyers at Thompson Hine.

  • Legal Profession Must Do More For Lawyers With Disabilities

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    At the start of Disability Pride month, Rosalyn Richter at Arnold & Porter looks at why lawyers with disabilities are significantly underrepresented in private practice, asserting that law firms and other employers must do more to conquer the implicit bias that deters attorneys from seeking accommodations.

  • What Affirmative Action Ruling Means For Higher Ed And Cos.

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's holding that race-conscious admissions programs at two educational institutions violate the Constitution's equal protection clause applied the "strict scrutiny" standard that governs race-conscious programs in a way that will be very difficult for educational institutions and other entities to satisfy, say attorneys at Jenner & Block.

  • DC Circ.'s Perchlorate Ruling Means Regulatory Restart

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    The D.C. Circuit's recent ruling in National Resources Defense Council v. Regan, requiring the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to regulate perchlorate under the Safe Drinking Water Act, reopens a decadeslong regulatory debate and creates renewed uncertainty for companies, say attorneys at Alston & Bird.

  • Opinion

    Appellate Funding Disclosure: No Mandate Is Right Choice

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    The Advisory Committee on Appellate Rules' recent decision, forgoing a mandatory disclosure rule for litigation funding in federal appeals, is prudent, as third-party funding is only involved in a minuscule number of federal cases, and courts have ample authority to obtain funding information if necessary, says Stewart Ackerly at Statera Capital.

  • NBA Players Must Avoid Legal Fouls In CBD Deals

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    The NBA’s recently ratified collective bargaining agreement allows athletes to promote CBD brands and products, but athletes and the companies they promote must be cautious of a complex patchwork of applicable state laws and federal regulators’ approach to advertising claims, says Airina Rodrigues at Brownstein Hyatt.

  • How Attys Can Avoid Exposing Their Firms To Cyberattacks

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    Attorneys are the weakest link in their firms' cyberdefenses because hackers often exploit the gap between individuals’ work and personal cybersecurity habits, but there are some steps lawyers can take to reduce the risks they create for their employers, say Mark Hurley and Carmine Cicalese at Digital Privacy & Protection.

  • Virginia 'Rocket Docket' Slowdown Is Likely A Blip

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    After being the fastest or second-fastest federal civil trial court for 14 straight years, the Eastern District of Virginia has slid to 18th place, but the rocket docket’s statistical tumble doesn't mean the district no longer maintains a speedy civil docket, says Robert Tata at Hunton.

  • 'Varsity Blues' Reversal May Inform Conspiracy Defenses

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    The First Circuit’s recent decision vacating the convictions of two “Varsity Blues” defendants provides potential support for creative arguments against conspiracy charges, particularly where defense counsel can show competition or indifference among alleged co-conspirators, say Cormac Connor and Emily Mikes at Husch Blackwell.

  • 5 Management Tips To Keep Law Firm Merger Talks Moving

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    Many law firm mergers that make solid business sense still fall apart due to the costs and frustrations of inefficient negotiations, but firm managers can increase the chance of success by effectively planning and executing merger discussions, say Lisa Smith and Kristin Stark at Fairfax Associates.

  • 3 Abortion Enforcement Takeaways 1 Year After Dobbs

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    A year after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to abortion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, confusion continues to abound amid the quagmire of state-level enforcement risks, federal efforts to protect reproductive health care, and fights over geolocation data, say Elena Quattrone and Sarah Hall at Epstein Becker.

  • Rethinking In-Office Attendance For Associate Retention

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    The hybrid office attendance model doesn't work for all employees, but it does for many — and balancing these two groups is important for associate retention and maintaining a BigLaw firm culture that supports all attorneys, says Summer Eberhard at Major Lindsey.

  • What Innovators Can Expect In The Patent World After Amgen

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    After the U.S. Supreme Court's recent Amgen v. Sanofi decision, which invalidated Amgen's patents because the specifications failed to enable the full scope of the invention, innovators should expect more enablement rejections and invalidity challenges, and higher standards overall for obtaining broad genus claims, says Kisuk Lee from Harness IP.

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